Grow Now: How We Can Save Our Health, Communities, and Planet―One Garden at a Time

Only Suitable For Those On The West Coast

Grow Now: How We Can Save Our Health, Communities, And Plant - One Garden At A Time by Emily Murphy

I've been an Eco-Farmer for nearly 2 decades. I'm land locked in Appalachia but I can reach the NJ shore in about 8 hours. While most books of this type aren't really suited to someone such as myself with an incredible amount of chemical free growing experience, I do still tend to enjoy them. I also like to see fresh ideas & opinions.

The problem with this book is the author only has experience as a California grower. Where does that leave the rest of us in the USA? For example, the author has a list of what to harvest when. "Blueberries are harvested in spring." In 2 weeks it will be spring here. My blueberry bushes don't even have leaves yet. Harvest blueberries in spring???? Yeah, right. I harvest my blueberries in the summer. What about kale? It is one of my first harvests. I start in the spring. I guess in CA you can't get kale in the spring as it is not listed as a spring crop. Mangos are listed too. Mangos? Oh my. Maybe in FL; not where I am & not in NJ.

I am NJ born. I moved about 500 miles away or 8 hours travel time by car. NJ & the state I currently reside in (WV) are surprisingly similar in climate lows, highs & precipitation. But they are still not the same. This small difference makes a huge difference in how & what I grow. It took me about 3 growing seasons (3 years) before I became adjusted to not only the climate differences but also the soil differences.

Now, imagine the difference between NJ & CA of 3000 miles or a 3-4 day drive. Or where I am to CA is about 2500 miles. Not only is the climate entirely different, but we are in different time zones. And finally, don't even get me started on micro climates. They are very real. My neighbors farm can get hit with a killing frost & I don't. My neighbor had is barn torn down in high winds. I can view his barn from my property. Every single structure on my property was fine. Heck I've watched it pour on my neighbors property while I stand in the full sun, totally dry & stay dry.

The author mentions learning your growing region, but doesn't provide the USDA Plant Hardiness Zone color coded map. Instead she provides a woefully inaccurate list of each region. I'm not on her list. My average last frost is May 15. My average first frost is October 15. You wont find this listed in her book.

The book is well intentioned, but very flawed & full of propaganda. I am a huge promoter of sustainable agriculture but we need to be upfront & honest about our environment & government if we want to be taken seriously. Yes, we absolutely need to give a darn about our planet, but lets not use lies ahem, misinformation to try to convince others. Granted, she does stress that, yes you can make a difference as one person & this is absolutely true. When I first started I was treated like I was crazy. It was frustrating always having to defend myself. Now, I see so many younger folks on board. I'm no longer the fringe crazy lady freaking out about chemicals, the environment & animal welfare. I love seeing how generations younger than me discover a more sustainable lifestyle. However, Eco living, like life in general, is not black or white. It is mostly grey. So called green energy isn't as green as we are led to believe. This doesn't make me pro oil/gas. Not one bit. I'm just for the cold hard facts. No propaganda.

The book has plenty of optimistic advise for re-greening our planet. Sometimes overly optimistic (growing stuff is hard work). It's more of a very basic idea book rather than something in-depth. For example, if you see something (plant or Eco method) that you think might work in your growing area, you will want to do further research because the author doesn't provide enough for you to utilize. Of course, in the end, nothing beats hands on experience. You can read yourself silly & gain plenty of "book smarts" but until your working in your own micro climate, you don't really know much at all.

I could go on, but I see no reason to as I feel I've said more than enough. Bottom line, if you live in CA & are new to growing stuff & want to go green, then this book is probably perfect for you. For the rest of us, I'd look elsewhere unless you are the type who just enjoys reading about vs doing (nothing wrong with that, it's like window shopping).

The book was printed in CHINA... One of the top global polluters (the other is India). You gotta love the hypocrisy.